In pictures: Huawei Ascend P6 vs. Apple iPhone 4S

Is it borrowing designs, or just inspiration? Some of the similarities are surprising.

It's no secret that there are design similarities between the Huawei Ascend P6 and the iPhone, but how similar are they? Well naturally the screen sizes and operating systems differentiate them pretty well, but there are certainly many points where the likeness between the two is uncanny.

Particularly, you can see almost exact similarities with the metal banding around the sides, the camera and speaker grille at the top of the phones. The similarities go further with an iPhone 5, which is simply taller and thinner and therefore looks more like a typical 16:9 Android phone to begin with.

Stick with us after the break for a full gallery of the Huawei Ascend P6 with an iPhone 4S.

Reader comments

In pictures: Huawei Ascend P6 vs. Apple iPhone 4S

i don't get it. It looks like the iphone, in the same way they both look like a Z10. rectangles, with a camera hole, and a speaker hole, and buttons. I just don't see anything, aside from the generic touchscreen smartphone look going on.

The front makes it look closer to the BlackBerry Z10 than the iPhone. The sides look similar so does the camera assembly. The back looks a bit like the Sony Xperia Z. Sure they probably had inspiration from these companies but to say that they copied it? No, they don't look like each other (Ascend P6 vs. iPhone) aside from 2 aspects of it. Plus, the comparison is to an iPhone 4S which it doesn't look similar to, it's slightly closer to the iPhone 5 than 4S if you really want to nitpick.

I don't see the big similarities. I can agree that some details are relatively similar but from a holistic viewpoint, I think both have their own distinct design. The Huawei Ascend P6 reminds me more of a Lumigon T2 rather than the iPhone 4S/5.

I prefer the Huawei design, it looks elegant and classy even if it isn't in the same league as the Lenovo K900 or Sony Xperia Z Ultra. I think it is a nice looking smartphone in general. Even with MIUI onboard, I fail to see that it is a "clone" of the Apple design.

I'm not saying if it is wrong or right..but this is definitely a very blatant copy! Even the most hardcore Android fan must admit that much. I understand there are only so many ways to design a black rectangular slab but there are very few differences in design language from the 4/4s. A major win for those who are fans of that look but want to run Android but let us not lie to ourselves claiming this isn't a blatant copy. With that said I've always been a fan of this design..this will definitely be a win for those who might not be able to purchase an iPhone directly in markets this is released in or want that look but love Android.

honestly, thats just about as "the same" as almost every other phone is. there are only so many ways to design certain details, so there will always be some similarity in some ways.
Over all these to phones are - to me - totally different.

You dismissed the article solely on it being opinion based. An opinion you disagreed with, but if you were on the other side of the fence you might not be so quick to judge. Saying the article is just to generate clicks is offensive to the writer. I know Andrews work and it is nothing to snuff at.

My opinion doesn't matter because I am not the author. Neither does your. That is what the comment section is for.

Most of you are missing the point. Andrew isn't saying these are blatant copies of each other, even at quick glance these two look very different, obviously one is black and one is white and the iphone is substantially smaller and thicker. But when looking more closely you notice these similarities:
-Camera and flash are almost identical in size and placement
-Both cameras have a silver lining around the outside
-The metal band around the outside is almost identical including the width of it.
-The beveled edges of the band and glass are identical
-The 'break' in the band on the sides, one of the most defining qualities of the edge of the phone is exactly the same on both phones in size and placement.
-Front facing camera is same size and adjacent with the ear speaker.
-Rounded edges

While I agree, no one is going to mistake one for the other, it is pretty obvious who Huawei got their inspiration from. I don't think it is a bad thing, and really it is quite smart, improve on what is popular. Put this phone next to the iPhone 4 or 5 and I still think the Ascend P6 is a better looking phone, just not better named :P

I completely disagree, there is a very specific design language that was mimicked from the iPhone 4. I think the article makes that very apparent. People don't want to admit that an android phone has anything in common with an iphone, so they are putting on their blinders.

Exactly! Not saying what they did is wrong but after seeing it on video there's no denying the blatant copying of design language. Can't believe people are saying they don't see it. Yes there are VERY few differences that set it apart outside of internals and software but there are some major blatantly copied design elements.

The camera lens is circle like on an iPhone. Wait a minute...so is EVERY SINGLE CAMERA LENS IN EXISTENCE.

The flash looks the same as an iPhone. Wait a minute...THAT'S BECAUSE IT'S A LIGHTBULB.

The speaker grill on the phone to hear the person talking is on the top just like the iPhone. Wait a minute...EVERY SINGLE PHONE IN EXISTENCE PUTS THAT SPEAKER GRILL AT THE TOP SO YOU CAN HEAR IT IN YOUR EAR.

The metal band looks like the same...at the very top on the left and right and nowhere else.

The bottom of the phone is on the bottom like the iPhone. The audacity of them.

The front screen of the phone is made of glass. Wait a minute...99% OF EVERY PHONE MADE USES GLASS INSTEAD OF PLASTIC.

I understand you need to create posts to keep people coming to the website but this post takes the cake in posts that create bewilderment in why the author would make any of these claims.

Clearly Huawei copied the iPhone. The speaker has little holes in it like the iPhone and its width is greater than its height. Need more? Fine. Look at the cameras, they are clearly both round with lenses. Not to mention the flash, which is also round. I had an old polaroid camera and it had a square flash, so clearly it could be done. What about the headphone jack. They are exactly the same size. Kind of coincidental, don't you think? I could keep going, mention how both are three dimensional, instead of 2 or 4 dimensional, how both have mass, etc., but you get the point.

I don't mean to offend, but this is the kind of thing one can hear from people who have no attention to detail and therefore should not judge differences in design. My sister says most cars look the same to her and mainly discerns them by color. Of course I'm exaggerating a little, she's not stupid, but she just doesn't have the eye. I'm a designer by profession and can perfectly discern design cues taken from this brand and that brand - every designer has to draw inspiration from somewhere.. But it is a FACT that Huawei is copying Apple. I know because I have their Ascend P1 (great phone, by the way) and while the phone itself is very original in design (partially similar to Dell Streak, but that brand has been dead for long enough), its charger and USB cable are almost perfect copies of the ones from Apple. To be exact, I think they improve on Apple's design and look better than the original, but they still can't hide their origin. And for me it's the same with the Ascend P6 - it literally removed all the things I didn't like about the iPhone (overly rounded corners, riddiculously too much space above and under the display and the boring, tired UI with bubly rounded icons which is stupidified to be operated by a braindead horse) and improved on the good stuff (I like the brushed metal more, it's thinner, corners are sharper and it has Android). The only thing missing for me is an OLED screen - forget resolution, nobody can discern 480p from 720p at normal usage distance and an LCD can never match an OLED in overall picture quality because of black depth. But then again... it would still feel like a copy to me so I'm not sure I would like to own it. Huawei should really try to make their own design way - they certainly seem to be able to.

Its like saying that a Ford Tarus is a copy of a Chevy Malibu because they both have the steering wheel in the same place and the bottom side has tires.

Come on!

As time passes all products tend to find the most optimum design, which is why many models tend to grow into a similar look. Its not a conspiracy, its simply optimum design constrained by functionality and cost. Form Follows Function and Finance.